Nico Rosberg set the pace during final practice for the Japanese Grand Prix as a number of drivers struggled to set representative times.
Overnight rain ensured the track was wet at the start of the session and it was 20 minutes before laps on slick tyres were seen, resulting in a backlog of action in the session. As a result, the final qualifying simulations on low fuel took place on a busy track and getting a clear lap proved tricky.
- AS IT HAPPENED: Japanese Grand Prix – FP3
Rosberg was one of the first to attempt his soft tyre run and duly set the pace with a 1:32.092 to go a second clear at the top of the times. Kimi Raikkonen was next to attempt a lap and was actually quicker than Rosberg through the opening sector before encountering a Renault at Degner, aborting his lap. Sebastian Vettel was similarly hampered by a Renault at the end of his flying lap, while he was held up by a Williams at the start of his lap and ended up third, 0.6s off the pace.
Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed a largely clean lap to finish the session in second place, with the Red Bull driver 0.3s off Rosberg’s best. Ricciardo’s team-mate Max Verstappen went even quicker than Raikkonen in the first sector but complained about the handling of his car, locking up heavily at the final chicane to set the fourth fastest time.
Raikkonen’s aborted lap left him fifth after a second attempt on used soft tyres, but Lewis Hamilton failed to get a clear lap in and opted to return to the pits after a slow middle sector on his second attempt, meaning he ended the session in seventh place – one spot below Felipe Massa – 1.2s slower than Rosberg.
The two Renault drivers impressed with eighth and ninth respectively, increasing hopes of a first Q3 appearance for the team this season. Remarkably, both drivers set exactly the same time, with Jolyon Palmer listed ahead on the timing screens as a result of posting a 1:33.639 first.
The tricky conditions early in the session caught out Esteban Gutierrez, who ran wide at Spoon on his first timed lap and then spun in the Esses. Gutierrez ran wide at Turn 4 and slid across the grass before spinning in the middle of Turn 5, but recovered to set the 12th fastest time behind Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.
Pascal Wehrlein was two seconds slower than team-mate Esteban Ocon at Manor as he focused on race pace due to an impending gearbox penalty, while Carlos Sainz was slowest having completed just three laps before his session was ended.
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Chris Medland’s 2016 Japanese Grand Prix preview
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01
Nico Rosberg
Mercedes
1:32.092
14
02
Daniel Ricciardo
Red Bull
1:32.394
10
03
Sebastian Vettel
Ferrari
1:32.731
13
04
Max Verstappen
Red Bull
1:32.784
9
05
Kimi Raikkonen
Ferrari
1:33.011
12
06
Felipe Massa
Williams
1:33.271
13
07
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes
1:33.284
12
08
Jolyon Palmer
Renault
1:33.639
13
09
Kevin Magnussen
Renault
1:33.639
10
10
Nico Hulkenberg
Force India
1:33.646
11
11
Fernando Alonso
McLaren
1:33.714
12
12
Esteban Gutierrez
Haas
1:33.787
16
13
Valtteri Bottas
Williams
1:33.865
9
14
Sergio Perez
Force India
1:33.921
11
15
Daniil Kvyat
Toro Rosso
1:34.037
12
16
Romain Grosjean
Haas
1:34.272
13
17
Felipe Nasr
Sauber
1:34.388
12
18
Marcus Ericsson
Sauber
1:34.544
13
19
Jenson Button
McLaren
1:34.548
11
20
Esteban Ocon
Manor
1:35.230
13
21
Pascal Wehrlein
Manor
1:37.256
10
22
Carlos Sainz
Toro Rosso
1:56.323
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